I do not often bring my private life into my writing. Work has always been the visible surface. But this year, more than any other, has reminded me that the most important decisions we make rarely sit in a data room or board room.
Sarah and I have two young daughters, Liliana and Isla. Six and four. They are at that age where the world is still wide open, where curiosity comes naturally, and where the smallest moments leave the deepest marks.
Three years ago, we left Chicago and moved to Cascais, Portugal. It was less a relocation and more a reorientation. Toward a different pace. Toward different values. Toward a life anchored in time, culture and proximity. Professionally, my work has increasingly pulled me north, into London and across Northern Europe. Personally, our home has rooted us firmly here. That contrast has been grounding rather than conflicting. It has given me both reach and perspective.
Living here has changed us. Quietly, but profoundly.
Our girls move between languages with ease. They absorb difference without hesitation. Their school days are filled with accents, traditions and viewpoints that feel entirely normal to them. Watching this unfold has been one of the great privileges of my life. It has also reinforced something I have always believed professionally. The most durable forms of value are built slowly, through exposure, consistency and care.
Life, I have learned, mirrors the work many of us do. Not in mechanics, but in essence. The outcomes that matter most are never the result of a single bold move. They come from a series of thoughtful choices. From knowing where to invest energy. From being selective about what and who we bring close. From allowing time to do its work.
Much of our daily life now revolves around those quiet investments. Afternoons that stretch a little longer. Evenings spent reading the same stories again and again. Conversations, reassurance, closeness. Holidays and Augusts chosen not for efficiency, but for presence. There is nothing dramatic about it, and yet it is deeply formative.
This period has also strengthened my relationship with my wife in ways I did not fully anticipate. Building a life together far from what is familiar requires trust, humour and patience. Alignment, whether in families or organisations, is not something you set once. It is renewed daily.
As the year closes, I find myself thinking less about what has been achieved and more about what has been built. The foundations that will carry us forward. The relationships that compound quietly. The sense that we are exactly where we need to be.
Many of us are now stepping into a pause. A moment to slow down, to be present, to recharge. I hope you give yourself that space. The work will wait. The moments will not.
We will see each other again in the new year, recharged. There is a clear signal in the market that momentum is returning and opportunities are beginning to surface again. There will be much to do together.
Until then, I wish you a peaceful holiday season and a gentle close to the year.
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